How to Fix a Sandy or Clay Soil in Your Garden - FHC Q & A

[@threeriversforge1997]

I use leaves to mulch all my beds, and the sandy soil changes real quick once you start the process. The key is to put the leaves on at least 1' thick. More is better because the leaves will compact down, but a foot is a good place to start. Grow-it-Build-it did a very good documentary vid here on YT to show how leaves changed his heavy clay soil into thick rich organic garden soil in just three years, and all he did was pile the Autumn leaves on thick every year as he put the garden to rest. The microbes and other things in the ground will do the work for you, and by putting on at least a foot of leaves, you're insulating the ground so the bugs can work even in the coldest of winters. One trick I learned was to put small limbs all over the top of the leaves to weight them down. Otherwise they tend to blow away. You can shred the leaves and they'll pack flatter, breaking down faster, but that's extra work. I usually have plenty of small twigs falling from the trees around here, and it doesn't take many to bind all the leaves together. Just throw them around however you like and call it a day.

[@danyennis8126]

I’m super late, but thank you pa Mac for your reply. I have been so busy around my little farm with the new animals and other farm chores. Your info has been a great help. Thank you for taking the time to make a video to help me figure out my soil problems.

[@farmhandscompanion]

It was my pleasure, danyennis8126! Thank you for the suggestion

[@happilyretiredmark2964]

Great info as usual PaMac...right up my ally here because of sandy soil.my problem is I keep trying to plant every year. Should have just took this advice and waited on the planting. But, after 4 years or so it's much better than when I started.you the man many Blessings to you and yours!

[@leomiranda-castro6908]

Good explanation! Thank you. I live in West central GA and my soil is pure sand. We have been working on increasing organic matter for a few years. It is now like night and day. The dirt is now good soil and improving. Early on we put some topsoil in two areas. Because the sand had no capacity to keep that top soil and after about two years, there was no topsoil left! It went down the sand and poof, gone. It's better to work with the manures you talked about. Takes time but it's a sure thing.

[@johngallagher2313]

Our garden spot is terribly rocky. After a rain post tilling it looks like a gravel driveway. The soil is very low in organic matter. This video has spurred me to once again get started on building better soil. I will probably use leaves, which I have in abundance, and a green cover crop like turnips or wheat. I used horse manure once and fought pigweed for a couple years. I don't want to go there again. LOL

[@DennisHochstetler]

Yeah, horse manure tends to give you weed problems unless it's composted first.

[@steamboatdilly]

Living in Memphis, wanting to homestead and thinking, well... Pa Mac lived here and he grew up to be a real cool guy. Its been years since I visited your channel, getting to rewatch them all and now you talk. Pretty neat!

[@DanM-r1k]

I've been watching your content for years. I realized I've never taken the time to thank you. I'm always excited to see an alert that you have a new video. Thank you for giving me so much enjoyment.😊

[@farmhandscompanion]

You're very welcome, DanM. Thank you so much for the kind word!

[@francoislamontagne6986]

bravo spread the knowledge!

[@peteantos-ketcham3493]

Excellent video and discussion. If you ever have the chance to show us your composting system/set up sometime that would be interesting to see - that is presuming you use a structure of sometime to manage it versus an open pile. Thanks Pa Mac.

[@farmhandscompanion]

Great topic to cover, peteantos-ketcham3493, thank you. Let's do it! (You might be surprised at my take on it, too)

[@knolltop314]

One of my fav farmers.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Great job Pa Mac , you always have an answer. This answer is right on even though it's Crap. I did really appreciate the explanations of the different animals manure and how it fertilizes in different degrees that helps or hurts the crops if too much is mixed in with your dirt. Always enjoy your channel and the help you share and fun you have making these videos. Keep up the great way you share . Fred.

[@johnreno9418]

Speaking of hot manure, I placed dirty hay (hay mixed with poop and urine) taken straight from the barn onto my potato piles and wherever the manure touched the potato leaves, they became burnt and shriveled within an hour. That's how I learned about hot an cold manure. Luckily my expert gardener wife saw it and removed it from the potatoes before we lost them all.

[@happyhobbit8450]

Soil not dirt!!! I have too much rocks ... in Harrogate we grow rocks! I live on the west side of the Rockies in the Columbia valley BC. We tried extracting the rocks but that leaves not much soil so still have to add organic matter. Now I just put cardboard on top and then pile the organic matter on and start growing. I gather all kinds of material from the forrest (leaves, needles, small branches, ...) as well as chicken manure with wood chips. The best additive I've discovered is biochar which I make in the wood stove in the winter. I can get tons of ash mixed with the soil from the burn-pile in the Crown land not far away. Thank you for the video!!!

[@wolfypilot]

I bet it's really fun driving a fence post with all those rocks...

[@happyhobbit8450]

@@wolfypilot Impossible to 'drive' a post ... you have to dig the hole with a pry bar -- at first you can use a pick but no shovelling allowed.

[@douglasvantassel8098]

Great video, turned my day around. Thank you for making these.

[@deborahdanhauer8525]

When I was growing up we put leaves and tobacco stalks on the garden each fall and plowed it in when the spring came. It worked great!🤗❤️🐝

[@jonkwin9620]

I have very sandy soil and as well as adding organic matter I have added powdered clay and peat moss, they both cost money, but the benefits are rapid. Small amounts yearly add up over time and my soil is really good now.

[@gretafields4706]

Maybe people would be interested in knowing how you decided where to put what buildings. I am having trouble deciding where to put a main barn, where to put a pig pen, chicken coop, goat shed. The chicken coop has proved to be the hardest decision. I keep going in circles, changing my mind. What factors did you consider?

[@farmhandscompanion]

Great question! Gonna use it in an upcoming show, Greta

[@michaelwithrow4552]

What do you put in your Apple Trees to keep bugs off the leaves?

[@870wingmstr]

I've had good luck with diatomaceous earth.

[@jinxleah]

My city gives away compost and mulch. That's where I get the bulk of my organic material. I also compost. I collect different manures from local farms. I also collect leaves in the Fall from my neighbors. I also add shells and bones to my dirt. With these methods, I've added six inches of soul to my garden and can grow anything.

[@Buggsnest]

Question for possible further show is how to get rid of creeping charlie. (charlie here does not deserve a capital letter). Thanks for your good videos.

[@jonareli]

Man you’re on the farm!!

[@byouman5981]

Pa Mac: Do you have a traditional suggestion for goat fencing, i.e. not woven wire? Thanks!

[@Ham68229]

If you use wood, you want it to be more of a fine dust. The larger the "chunks", the more they take away from your soil. Leaves, mixed with grass is really the best way, newspaper spread in between your rows, then work that into the ground in the fall, really helps. Another item that really helps, unfortunately, is store bought, is gypsum. When I still farmed before an illness forced me to give it up, whenever I plowed a field, would let it sit for a few weeks, then go back over it with a deep ripper. Plows leave a "sheared" cut under the furrow, water will only soak in so far until it hits that sheared layer. A deep ripper shank however, will go deeper than the furrow and break open that sheared layer allowing moisture to do deeper into the soil and allow roots to get plenty of moisture they need to grow. For gardens, you can get a 1 shank ripper fairly cheap if you plow your garden, otherwise, a tiller is best option to turn the soil. Also, coffee grinds, even though more for worms but, you'll be surprise as what that can do.

[@cubsadventures2172]

Hey Pa, I spent most of my career as an ironworker. We used many different types of rigging in order to erect/install steel. I am interested in seeing what you would use to move large or bulking materials with block and tackle. Also, do you use homemade grass ropes to make rigging? Would love to see your insight on how you use what you have readily available on the farm. Stephen and Julie- Port St Joe Florida

[@farmhandscompanion]

How timely! Gonna be talkin' about how to lift heavy objects without a tractor in one of the next Q & A's comin' up

[@4115steve]

What do you do with all the rocks you dig up? Do you use them for anything? I have land with a bunch of large sandstone rocks

[@marker113]

8:07 how'd you get that view Pa Mac?! Great info as always thank you!

[@farmhandscompanion]

That was before the days of affordable drones. I'm standin' on my roof (and tip-toeing so my wife doesn't hear me up there and get scared I'll fall off).

[@JohnnyRay920]

I grew up in central NC and we had red clay. That stuff was tough! Very hard to dig in.

[@creepinglimongrass3276]

How can you make a portable fence (non electric )for grazing goat

[@farmhandscompanion]

I might try tethering before experimenting with a portable fence

[@creepinglimongrass3276]

how did the olden days store their milk and keeping it fresh?

[@870wingmstr]

Cold water. Build a room over a spring.

[@farmhandscompanion]

Sounds like the makings for a good future show; stay tuned!

[@mcmerriman]

Apple tree

[@WhiteWolfeHU]

The rolli polli or pill bug is a very populous insect that lives and eats the decaying leaf matter however they will prefer to eat your vegetables you plant.

[@gretafields4706]

😬i hate rolypolys around.

[@someguydino6770]

I like this channel ; but this presentation totally excluded the most important word associated with amending poor soil : COMPOST! MANURE is animal feces and also an important soil amendment. I would definitely prefer sandy soil to clay soil; as the latter will require MUCH more amending and will always tend to return to its sticky dense condition. All of the materials that the host describes in his rambling presentation should be mixed and then COMPOSTED; which means broken down. YES = bacteria, fungi, various insects and their larva will do most of the work in breaking down the compost; this is the natural process of decomposition. YES= composting takes time; PRO TIP = the SMALLER the size of the material; the FASTER it will COMPOST. Know that large wood chips and sticks can take several YEARS to break down. Shred, chip or grind your materials into the smallest possible particle size possible; then COMPOST it! Always inoculate a new batch of compost with some mature compost to transfer all of the helpful organisms to the new stuff. If you are gardening in containers or have small plots; consider getting a mid sized chipper shredder 8-10 hp. Pro tip = forget all of those "tumbling composters" just use large nursery pots or other large containers with holes in the bottom to hold your compost. Fill these containers 1/2 to 3/4 full and then stack them 2-3 containers high. Add water occasionally to the top most container to keep the material moist. If you have kitchen scraps; use a covered container to prevent attracting rodents and other varmints. Turning the compost in these stacked containers is MUCH easier because most people can lift and invert a half full 5 to 15 gallon container. You'll also notice that these compost container stacks take up MUCH less room than a typical compost pile. Compost made with small pieces of material and kept moist should be ready to use in 6 months to a year. Happy composting and gardening!

[@farmhandscompanion]

Hey someguydino, in the older agricultural writings of the 18th Century, any amendments were referred to as "manure", including animal excretion. What I (and many others, including the late Gene Logsdon) are doin' by depositing carbon materials directly on the garden as mulch has often been referred to as "sheet mulching", which basically composts in place directly on the garden-on top...and not mixed in until decomposed. You description of composting is certainly a good one-but not as practical when it comes to larger gardens, truck patches.